Effective College Essay Writing Strategies

Each student during their school, college or University studies have to write essays on several topics. College Essay Writing is always a challenge for a student. They may have to write a political essay, economy based essay topics, history based essay topics, or science based essay topics.

For writing an effective college essay on a particular topic, one needs to look for several relevant resources like books, current events, related examples etc. In addition to that they have to present them in their own thinking and writing style.

There are some common strtaegies which needs to be followed for writing an effective college essay.

First step is to read the Essay Prompt and Topic Carefully & Understand the requirements of the Essay

This step is the most important one in effective essay writing. There are some common types of essay topics like topic may be based on compare & contrast, discussion based topic, explanation based essay topic, argumentative, research based etc. Once you got the topic correctly, you are ready to start.

For example, During my college, I was asked to write an Essay on Chernobyl Disaster. Now when I google the Chernobyl disaster, i found that it is based on History. So, I need to discuss the event in details. I decided to First explain the Chernobyl, like what it was and where it is located. Then i started discussing about the accident that took place there. and at the end I discussed about my view point about the disaster and aftermath of the disaster around the globe. Believe me I got 100 marks out 100 in my Essay.

1. Prepare Essay Outline First

Before you begin your writing, create your essay outline. Jot your topic in the middle of your page, draw lines branching from the topic and write main ideas at the end of each line. From the main ideas at the end of the lines draw more lines and include your thoughts.

Sample outline of an Essay

Introduction paragraph

• First sentence
• Thesis statement

Body paragraph

• Give statistics
• Information on the subject
• Research on the topic
• Relevant data if any

Conclusion paragraph

• Restate your thesis statement
• Support arguments
• write a call to action

Start writing your essay

You already have a topic and the paper outline it is time to start the writing. Begin by creating a thesis statement which must tell your reader the purpose of your essay. Read through your outline to help you create an appropriate thesis. Your thesis statement must state the topic and the main argument of your essay. The single statement must carry the overall response to the problem. Put your thesis statement in your first paragraph then make sure you refer to it several times within the essay then restate it in your conclusion.

Writing the Introductory paragraph of Essay

After creating a thesis statement and the body of the essay write an introductory paragraph. Make your introduction fascinating to capture the attention of your readers. Begin with a ‘hook’; you can use a story, dialogue, shocking revelation, a quote or a topic summary. Make sure that your ‘hook’ ties with the thesis statement.

Writing the body paragraphs of Essay

This is the part of the essay that you are supposed to explain, describe or argue the topic. The main ideas you wrote down on your outline becomes separate paragraphs. Each paragraph carries the main idea. The paragraph begins with an introductory sentence which carries the main idea.   Supporting ideas follow suit in sentence format backed with relevant information and examples. Don’t forget to cite every reference materials used. Direct quotes must also be cited using the required format style.

Writing the concluding paragraph of Essay

This part must be given much importance as the introduction part. The conclusion gives you a chance, to sum up, your ideas and close up the topic. Make it short; write three to five sentences. Do not introduce any new ideas at the conclusion; summarize your prior arguments. You have the chance to restate your thesis statement and once again support your stance.

Read and reread your paper to ensure the sentences are sensible and paragraphs flow into each other smoothly. Check the grammar, spelling, and punctuation make necessary corrections. Delete any irrelevant sections; improve expressions by changing the vocabulary. Ensure you meet the word count. Now write up your final draft and submit it before the deadline.

It is not easy to do the editing and the proofreading on your own. Give your essay to a friend to go through it before writing your final draft or rather use professional proofreading services provided by Full Grade at affordable prices. Full Grade offers free of cost proofreading services if you have taken our Essay Writing Services.